Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has reflected on a brutal assault two months ago outside a Florida hotel the day after his band performed with Mötley Crüe.
“I heard a couple of steps, and then I just saw this dark, sort of flash, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground," the 59-year-old told GMA. “I landed on my backside and then continued on, hit my head on the pavement.”
Allen, who lost an arm in a car crash in 1984, was having a smoke outside the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Fort Lauderdale on March 13 when he was rushed and knocked to the ground.
“I reached my hand up into the air because I thought I was going to get attacked again. And I just said, ‘I am no threat to you.’ I don’t think he knew who I was, but he must’ve seen that I wasn’t a threat because I’ve only got one arm.”
A woman who came to his aid was also attacked.
Max Edward Hartley, 19, was charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and “abusing an elderly or disabled adult without great harm.” He pleaded not guilty.
Allen said immediately after the attack he “went to that place of just feeling grateful for the fact that I have an amazing wife and an incredible family. I just started thanking a higher power for the fact that I’m still here.”
A few days after he was assaulted, Allen took to Twitter to thank fans for this support. “We are focusing on healing for everyone involved,” he wrote. "We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy. We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people.”